ogy. While many of these elements had been provided in years past, the focus on using them to improve classroom instruction re- sulted in a more powerful impact. All School Improvement Grant schools
also work with a consultant group, Partners for School Innovation. This non-profit edu- cation organization has an outcome orien- tation and a focus on systems change and equity. The two individuals who work reg-
ularly with our leadership team help guide and focus our efforts to make the changes at Muir systemic. Our focus with this grant, as with all of
our work, was to help build teacher capac- ity to teach students in a balanced literacy framework. The funding puts us in a posi- tion to set up classrooms with all the materi- als they need for success, and give teachers all the tools they need to effectively meet the
needs of the diverse learners they have in their rooms. The positive impact a classroom teacher
can have upon any student is not even worth debating. Every parent knows it to be true, as does every principal at all levels of educa- tion. It is why parents fight to get their chil- dren into certain teachers’ classrooms every year, and it is why principals spend count- less hours trying to find and attract skilled teachers to their sites. Great teachers have some innate skills,
but also must be effectively trained and sup- ported. Without some combination of in- nate ability and a mechanism for improving the craft, the impact a teacher can have upon student achievement is limited. In order to develop the skills necessary to
improve achievement at Muir, teachers need high quality professional development. Over the past two decades I have been frustrated by the lack of follow-through provided by most professional development plans, as well as the constant need to adjust the trainings to meet the needs of a specific situation. To address these concerns we provide almost all of our professional development on site by our own literacy team, which is spearheaded by two remarkable teachers. Lisa Alley and Missy Read have worked
as classroom teachers and support staff/ coaches for more than 20 years, and their combined knowledge and leadership has been fundamental to our success. Their un- derstanding of Balanced Literacy, genuine interest in continually improving their own understanding of best practices, and deter- mination to be part of a team that bridges the achievement gap make them a rare team indeed. The on site, targeted professional devel-
opment they provide is one of the most im- pactful contributions they have made. We use a fairly simple approach: • Identify a few key instructional prac-
tices the leadership team believes will have a dramatic impact on student achievement. • Regularly assess our teachers and their
specific needs in an overtly non-evaluative manner. • Then provide specific professional de-
velopment based on trends observed while assessing classroom practice.
10 Leadership
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